Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-31
last item, and got 1t from the County
and District clerks, official rennrts

last item, and got 1t from the County
and District clerks official reports.
Now, then, if sentiment and passion
are laid aside and reason and candor
prevail, it must be admitted that the
Texas policy OF high license is more
restrictive of the liquor traffic and is
more fruitful of good financial results
and real temperance reform than the
so-called prohibition methods of Iowa
or either of the other states. Without
undue repetition your attention is called
to the facts that in 1885 Texas had 1868
retail liquor dealers and Iowa had 3,54s
In 1886 Texas had only ,260 and Iowa
had 3,769, reduction Of l03 in Texas
and gain of 220 for Iowa. In 1884 Iowa,
with her $3.50 retail liquor dealers, con-
victed G3l saloon keepers and got less
than $50 each out OF them. For the same
year Texas, by civil remedies, collected
S5S0,5 from the liquor business snd
confined it within more limited scope
and kept it under official surveillance.
That year, with two-thlrds less saloons
than Iowa, she made this traffic
pay S89,4s220 more into the
treasury than ell the courts,
civil and criminal, cost her, while Iowa
had to raise 1879, 680.6l from other
sources to defray the criminal exp nses
alone. -
One of the chief complaints of the citi-
zen is that there aTenow too many courts
and too much litigation in Texas. We'll,
how will adding she whole saloon element
to the criminaESlfst help this? In the
years 1885 anas 1886 there were 1888
criminal triaisin the District and County
courts, and9te took most oil the time
allowed byaaw to dispose of them. Now
make the5i260 saloon keepers criminals
for eacAsdrink they sell, and what do you
find? Narrow the prosecutions down to
one case each month, and we
have. staring US in the face
1920 more cases than we now have
10 each year to try; or 1901 more saloon
cases year than all the criminal cases
tried in the courts OF record in this state
For the pest two years. In Iowa the
laverage fines against her saloon men is
| less than 500 each year. II is hardly
reasonable to suppose that Texas would
get more than 500 each per month out
of them. If she did not then she would
only realize what the present state,
| county and city license amounts to, and
there would be no possible inducement
for the saloons to close up here any
more than they do in Iowa, especially il
the liquor dealers are the ubiquitous
class depicted by Prohibitionists. 10 sue
cesstully try these men the courts mus,
be increased and their terms extended
This may make costs for the officers and
money for the professional gentlemen who
defend them, but where is the benefit TO
the state, to the taxpayer or to the NOR
ais CT the country. According to prohi
| bition fgures each Of these 1860 saloon
keepers wonld sell at least thirty drinks
per day or in the aggregate over thirt> II
million drinks per year. Then make the
traffic violation Of the law, each sale
becomes separate Offense, and the pur-
chaser Connives at the crime snd is s
party to its commission. Whist is his
status as a law abiding citizen? What il
the state of that mans feelings for hi'
government that makes MIN sneak and
s fraud and hypoCrite and crimina
for such an act. What is the condition
of state that will have 10 rely upon suct
a citizenship for the enforcement Of hel
Flaws? What will be the chance then fOl
moral and temperance reform? Under
such state Of affairs the citizen WhC
drinks would become theaconsort, com
panfon and protector of the criminal wht
accommodates him by the sale; he would
turn up his nose at his government, enC
learn to hate law, and the state would
suffer in the.administration Of Justice b,
thus educating large class of her people,
to despise her.. Judicial tribunals, for OF
the one hand those who need or USE
spirituous liquors would continually b.
st war against this LAWS enforcement
and on the other large class would havs
contempt for the courts and thei
officers for its tsilure,5 Morality an(
temperance reform woGlH receive theil
accustomed back set by hsexperiment
and the good people who now advocate
this measure would becoma; shocked
cnagrined, demorellzed and enibittered
and would lose confidence in the virtue
and efficiency of local sef-governiaent.
In conclusion, fellow citizens, pepmi
me to sdd that every gentleman whoei
animated Dy liberal views and generous
ambition to promote the prosperity of bill
country, is certainly willing 20 investi
gate this question in all its bearings
Let US, therefore, appeal to the reason
and avoid arousing the passions Of thes
good reformers on this question. Cit
them to its course and failures of the pas
in as good and strong governments 8
ours, and point out to them the grea
evils tnat flow from abortiye laws whic
place guard over each citizens mout
in the enthusiastic attempt to make hiI
moral.